Nonwoven soft-surface floor covering and method and apparatus for producing the same



y 9, 1953 c. R. JOHNSON 2,638,959

NONWOVEN SOFT-SURFACE FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 18, 1951 (bar/es R Jab/won Bahri May 19, 1953 c JOHNSON 2,638,959

' NONWOVEN SOFT-SURFACE FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD AND APPARATUS'FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Filed Aug. 18, 1951 -4 Sheets-Sheet 2 m E 9 LO LO Q N N I I All I m r Q LO Lon a m" S LO LO m m 1 m O I m I x.

I l1 LT) 1"- 1 m i Q II/ I j m} Q Q O K a M May 19, 1953 c. R. JOHNSON 2,633,959

NONWOVEN SOFT-SURFACE FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Filed Aug. 18, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 mum f 'f t Charles A. dob/160 C. R. JOHNSON May 19, 1953 2,638,959 NONWOVEN SOFT-SURFACE FLOOR COVERING AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 18, 1951 Patented May 19, 1953 STAT PATENT ossics NONWOVEN S OFT- SURFACE: FLOORvCOVER- ING' AND METHOD AND'APPARATUSK FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Charleen. Johnson; 'Longmeadow, Mass assignor." to Bigelow-Sanford'. Carpet Company, Inc.,. Thompsonville, Conn a corporation of: Delaware Application'August 18; 1951; Serial'No. 242 515 (01. isc-rn' This invention relates to amethod and" apparatus I for producing" a: non-woven.- soft-sl1rfaoe floor covering, and to such. aefloor covering.

The principal'object of the invention is topro vide a' method and an apparatus .forproducing. a-

fioorxcovering in-which atextile surface or. facingv material-is securely adhered in rows to a back-.' ing sheet of a suitable material, and to:provide such a-floor covering.havingihighandlow. pile loops in the same transverse row.

According" to my preferred practice, a flexible backing sheet is coated. with a-thermoresponsive adhesive and is 1 fed; forward intermittently and.

during.v the. dwells tightsv of the surface material are pressedin rows-acrossthe widthof'thebacking-into' the soft .or softenedadhesive... Th'e'adher sive is responsive to heatingv by dielectric losses.

producedby a; high frequency electric field simultaneously. with, the vpressing; off the bights of. the

surface material. into theadhesive; thuscreating,

onxthezlihes where thebights "of the suriace-vma terial are; applied, a .firm bond between that ma terial and the. backing sheet.

The snrface'materialis'soft and maybe a sheet. of 'felt or preferably a: sheet or layerof carded wool or.v of strands ofiroving or of pile yams of."

wool, rayon or otherfibrousgmat'erial.

The backing sheet .is flexible, relatively-smoothsurfaced and substantially uniform in thickness and composition. By. uniform in composition 1' do: not necessarily mean homogeneous, but only thatthe sheet does notvary' in composition from:

place to place.

My; novel process and. the apparatus" by which: my invention may becarried out are illustrated.

in the accompanying" drawings, in which:

Fig; Us a sideview; partlyin' cross-section, of"

apparatus by which my processmay'bepracticed; together with a circuit" diagram ofapparatus "for applying the high-frequency field-J Fig. 2"is' a detail side: view; partly in. section; to an enlarged scale, showing meansaforoperating the electrode and the surfacev materialgrippers;

Fig; 2c is a sideview; pa'rtlyrinsectionyofthe means for adjustingthe position'of the electrode; 1 Fig. 3 is air elevational view" of the" means" for" operating the grippers;

Figs. 4, 5 and fi' are-sideviews, partly in crosssection,v showing" the-positions 'of the" electrode at successive stages of the process;

of" the electrode;

Fig. 8" is a photographof the product wherein loops. in the same row-' di er among themselve inheight.

Fig. 7 is an'enlarged crossesection' of the end.

Fig; 9 is across-sectional view'of the product of.

Thevma-in' shaft I, Fig. .1; is rotated by an elec tric motor driving through" a. gear" train (not shown);

are-11 5.1, vis drawn .step'bystep through: the "mas chine'by a spike-roll 8| i from-which it descends and. passes-around guide roll-8B to i be: rolled 7 up; The backing-sheet-passesthrough: a; trough 6.1. whereimthe adhesive 85 is applied to its'upper surface The. backing sheet-with itsyscoatingpf adhesive passes over and dwells. -on-v the anvilelectrode' 66;? and: below the upper electrode" l1.

AfithiS point'thesurfacematerial 99; .Fig 4;.ispositioned? over. thecoated. backing and the up pen-electrodeis pressed down-.to" form a row of bights' in the facing-.:materia1.whichthe electrode presses againsttheadhesive: A-t thisinstant thei high frequency field. is; applied long enough. to

act upon the adhesive which is. heat responsive.

Whenthe preferred' adhesiveis used, it-is" set by the. heat to. fix the? big hts-firmly: tothe backing: sheet. The. adhesive: may lee-one. which-is sofa tened by the heat. to. receive the bights of the. facing material .andii's. thenset. either by the heat.

orb'y cooling whenthefieldis cut off; The backing sheet with. the. surface. material attached thereto is drawn forward bythe spikeroll a dis-. tance equal toithat'between'sthe rows-of the surface material and a. freslrv part of" the: coated backing: sheet is; brought between the. electrodes. and a length.- of thesurface material. is-againv fed to be; attached to I the backing sheet;

To feed. the backingsheet '58; cam 13,. on main shaft I Fig. 1., rocks lever T5. on shaft 16, therebyrocking; lever'lli pivoted. at 18 to pawl. 19". This pawl rotates-ratchet wheeltli to intermittently rotate shaft allandspike roll 8.1. The sheet with the surface material: thereon is pressed down; on

the spike rollby a. steeliweighted roll 83. having.

a rubbercovering 841'.

Thespike-roll isltimed to advancethe backing sheetwhenithe electrode 17; is up..

After passing over'thespike roll; thesheetwi'thloops of" surface material; attached thereto is passed inrfrontof'a radiant heatingpanel 85. to.

further set and solidify the adhesive, particu? larly that- 'betweenthe "rowsr'ofr' attached-i surface material; The sheet" is? then 'delivered around guide roll flfit To applythe'" adhesive: to the: backing sheet the backing sheet 58 is' passed under plate" 60 Onthe main shaft are" components whichscontrolthem-notions of the several devices.:. The generaloperation of the machine, Fig. 1',.

is asfollows: The backing sheet 58, wound in 3 into a tank containing the adhesive 65. The sheet 58 is supported by plate 59 with wood blocks SI on the sides to retain the adhesive and keep it off the edges of the sheet. Plate 62, weighted by weights 83, presses a bar 64 down on the coated sheet to remove excess adhesive.

The preferred thermoresponsive adhesive applied to the backing sheet is one which is sufficiently soft at room temperature to permit the U-shaped bights of surface material to be embedded therein by the pressure of the electrode I! and which is solidified by the simultaneous application of the high frequency electric field so that it securely binds the bights of the surface material. The most satisfactory adhesives now known to me for this purpose are the plastisol pastes. These pastes, which are flowable and spreadable at room temperature (i. e., when ungelled), comprise a dispersion of a finely-divided polyvinyl chloride polymer (or copolymer in which the polyvinyl chloride exceeds about 90% by weight of the copolymer) in a plasticizer which is not a solvent for the resin at room temperature but which at elevated temperatures is capable of dissolving in the resin. When applied to the backing sheet, these materials are sufficiently soft to receive the bights of the surface material pressed therein, and when heated at the same time by the high frequency field for a fraction of a second, they are converted to a permanently solid (or'gelled) state in which they securely bind the bights of the surface material to the backing sheet. I also may use a thermosetting resin type of adhesive'provided this is adequately plasticized or provided the end use to which my product is to be put does not demand that the product be highly flexible." Typical of the thermosetting resins'which I have found ffective are the urea-formaldehyde resin adhesives, the phenol-formaldehyde resin adhesives and similar adhesives based on thermosetting resins. Adhesives of this latter class are provided on the backing sheet with the resin in the A or B stage, from which state they are advanced by the application of heat by the high frequency field to the insoluble, infusible stage. I also may include the so-called thermoplastic-thermosetting resin adhesives, such as those formed from the reaction product of polyvinyl 'butyral with melamine formaldehyde, which may .be solid initially but capable of being first softened and then solidified and set by the heat. While it is preferred, as indicated above, that the adhesive be liquid or semi-liquid as a paste, it is possible to use the adhesive in the form of a thin layer of powder suitably bonded to the backing sheet.

The thickness of the adhesive on the backing sheet may range from .005 to .040 inch as best suited to insure a firm bond with the surface material.

To feed the sheet or layer of surface material, eccentric 20 on main shaft I imparts an oscillating motion to shaft 24 through adjustable link 2I, adjustable pivot 22 and lever 23. Lever 25, keyed to shaft 24, imparts a reciprocating motion to rod 21 to which the lever is pivoted at 28. The forward end of rod 21 is connected by pivot 28, Fig. 2, to slide 29 which slides back and forth in bracket 30.

The surface material, preferably in the form of strands of roving or pile yarn from a creel (not shown) is laced through lease rods 3I. It passes between two rods of vertical pins 32, set into wood block 33, and passes over lower gripper 35, which is carried by bracket fastened to open upper gripper 55.

slide 29. The upper gripper 55 is pivoted on slide 29.

To open and close the grippers 35 and 55, cam. 36 on main shaft I, Fig. 1, through follower 31 rocks lever 38'fixed on shaft 39. Shaft 39 rocks lever 48 pivoted at 4| to rod 42 causing the rod to move back and forth. To operate the upper gripper 55, rod 44, Fig. 3, is pivoted at 43 to rod 42. Rod 44 slides back and forth in guide blocks 45 and 46. Collars 41 and 48 are fastened by set screws on-rod 44. When rod 44 is moved rearward, collar 48 moves lever 49 to rotate shaft 50 forcing cam screw 5 I, Fig. 2, to press down tail of bracket 52 pivoted on shaft 53.5 to raise and When rod 44 moves forward collar 41 rocks lever 49 to remove cam screw 5i from tail of bracket 52 thereby allowing spring 5.3, Fig. 2,.attached to shaft 53.5 by screw 54 to force upper gripper 55 down to grip the sheet of surface material 99 against the lower gripper 35. The upper surface of lower gripper 35, on which the surface material 99 lies, is disposed slightly above the bottom face of electrode I! in its down position. In the gripped position, the forward edges of grippers 35 and 55 may be in vertical alignment, but, preferably, the edge of the lower gripper 35 extends slightly beyond the edge of the upper gripper.

The movements are so timed and related that after the electrode I! has reached its down position, the upper gripper 55 rises and the grippers move rearward, the electrode remaining down. When the grippers reach their rearmost point, the upper gripper 55 closes to grip the sheet of surface material and upon moving forward the grippers push the material ahead. Forward movement of the material is prevented at the electrode H by the attachment of the material to the backing sheet or by the electrode, which is then in its down position, Fig. 4. and the material fclds or buckles and thereby forms an upwardly extending fold or row of loops. The downward pressure of the electrode I! on the surface material 99 tends to cause the surface material to bend upwardly adjacent the electrode, as illustrated in Fig. 7, aiding in causing the fold or buckle to form upwardly instead of down wardly. When the electrode rises and the backing sheet with the surface material attached thereto is moved forward, the fold or loops of the material tend to flatten, Fig. 5. When the electrode descends, it forms the flattened fold or loops into U-shaped bights and presses the bights into the adhesive 58.5 on the backing sheet 58, as shown in Fig. 6. The grippers complete their forward movement simultaneously with the movement of the spike roll 8 I.

I prefer to form the end of the electrode I? with a central groove with blunt edges so as not to cut or otherwise damage the soft surface material 99, Fig. '7. The groove may be formed into any desired shape such as a semi-circle or a gothic arch. When the electrode presses the surface material into the soft adhesive 58.5, some of the adhesive is retained in the groove and is not pressed out to the sides, thereby aiding in effecting a strong bond between the surface material and the backing fabric 58.

To operate the electrode I1, the cam 2, Fig. 1, on main shaft I, causes lever 4 to rock shaft 5 which rocks lever B which is pivoted at "I to rod 8 causing rod 8 and rod I0, connected to rod 8 by turnbuckle 9 to provide adjustment, to move up or down. Lever I2, pivoted at II to rod I0, rocks on shaft [3 and by shaft I4, pivoted in the end of lever I 2. raises and lowers bracket I5 in which electrode I1 is held in clamps I6. Thereby elec-- resin bases: polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl chicride, polyvinyl chloride-acetate, polyvinyl acetals,

trode-I'I is caused to rise and descend as-detercable II, I2, Fig. 2, from a high frequency g'enerator, is connected to the center of the anvil 66 through tubing and stud 69. Theanvil B6 is insulated by a block 61 of suitable insulating material, such as Mycalex, resting on suppor't'68.

The exterior conductor I2 of the coaxial cable is grounded both at the high frequency generator and at the mechanical apparatus, the electrode I I being connected to the exterior conductor I2 by copper strap 88, Fig. 2. i I

The high frequency generator, Fig. 1, includes a high power triode tube IIJI operating in a Colpitts oscillator circuit preferably at about 27 megacycles to furnish suitable high frequency power to electrode I! and anvil 66 through the coaxial cable, the oscillator being p'referably'con nected to the interior conductor II of the coaxial cable through a loading circuit consisting ofcondenser I03 and adjustable coil I95 to permit the oscillator to operate most efliciently into the load provided by the adhesive 58.5 and the surface material 99, and backing fabric 58. The triode tube ml is provided with suitable high voltage by a full-wave rectifier circuit including diodes I01. and I08 and a high voltage transformer I09, while suitable filament voltages for diodes I01 and I08 and triode Illl are provided by transformers III and H3, respectively, said transformers being connected through a switch 5' to a source of alternating current at terminals I Ill and II9.

The high frequency generator is energized, only when electrode I! is in its lowered position in contact with the surface material 99, by an arm 3 on shaft I, said arm being arranged to'operate a switch I2I such as a mercury switch. Switch I2I actuates a timer, generally indicated'at I23, which connects the high voltage transformer I09 to the alternatingcurrent source at terminals II! and H9. The time interval of said timer is arranged to provide a suitable amount of high frequency power to the electrode I! and anvil 66 during. the time the bights of the surface material are pressed against the adhesive by the electrode former, thus effectively first starting and then cutting off the high frequency generator by control of the high voltage supply thereof.

According to the foregoing form of the inven tion the adhesive is set by heat, but my invention may be practiced by using a thermoplastic adhesive which sets upon cooling. Such adhesive. is softened by the'high frequency electric field so that the bights of the surface material are pressed by the descent of the electrode II' into the softened adhesive. The adhesive, which is soft when heated, then cools and sets and thereby creates a firm bond between the bights of the surface material and the backing fabric.

I1 and then disconnect the trans polyvinylidene chloride, polyacrylates, or the copolymers of these resins, compounded by well known methods. I

With the aid of the device shown in Fig. 2a, high and low' pile in the same transverse row may be produced in the surface material. The device shown in Fig. 211 provides for adjusting the electrode to cause it to descend closer to or farther from the ends of the grippers when in their forward position. The brackets I 5 supporting the electrode-holding clamps I6 are rotatable on'shaft M. The clamps I E, and the electrode, are urged rearwardly by spring I62 to bear against a normally fixed stop roller I6I, which may be adjusted forwardly or rearwardly and fixed in adjusted position by nuts Ifilc and- I6Ib, as shown.

When a surface material, preferably composed of separate yarns or strands, is formed into an upward fold or row of loops, as shown in Fig. 5,

the fold or bulge is not uniform in all the strands and the direction and/or the degree of lean of the fold forwardly or rearwardly, and in some instances sidewise, differs from strand to strand. When the electrode is adjusted, as described, to descend at or near the middle of the fold, it strikes some of the strands forwardly of their apex and others of the strands rearwardly of their apex, depending upon the lean" of the fold in the particular strand. In the strands which the'electrode strikes forwardly of the apex, i. e., on theside nearer the completed fabric, a short or low loop is produced, but in the strands which the electrode strikes rearwardly of the apex, i. e., on the side nearer the grippers, a higher loop is produced. Consequently the loops of the completed transverse row differ among themselves in height, as shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9." j

The difference in height of the high and low loops so produced increases with increase in the ward and backward movement.

Except for the change in the sort of heat responpolyvinyl acetate. Other satisfactory and suit-l able thermoplastic adhesives may be prepared by utilizing any of the-following thermoplastic" ofsubstantially uniform,

The high andlow effect is also accentuated by an increase in the bulk of the yarn employed, which tends to increase the size of the bulge in the yarn when it is folded upwardly by the forward movement of the grippers. The bulge is not uniformly distributed among the yarns in a transverse row, resulting in a lack of uniformity in direction and/or degree of lean of the loop. Then, as described above, theelectrode when it descends strikes some of the loops on one side of the apex and some on the other side so that loops of a variety of heights are produced.

Another way of accentuating the high and low effect is to shorten the space'between rows. This may be done by shortening the movement ofthe spike rolls.

The stop I61 maybe adjusted so as to bring thedescending electrode so close to the edge of the grippers that it will strike all of the folds on their Side nearer the grippersso that loops height are produced.

The present application is a continuation-inpart of my prior application, Serial No; 663,592, filed April 19, 1946, jointly with Henry A. Reinhardt, nowabandoned.

and relatively hig redueeia floomcovw: r nerhavi eiazso urieeksfmaterial rseeurelwa hered-w-in transverse vows to ta backi-ng sheetrby an adhesive, which comprises advancing rflwprer-5 determined ,ien tn of "SOft ITSUIYEZFC Efimaterial, .yde pressingn pertioir ofisaid length of said material; pressing tlh8'5fgb0l5t0l1' l :"Of 'saidrz depressedwperticn againstxathermoresponsiveaavzil'iesive material :on I 'i l fflees Ofsaidebackin xsheet simultaneously l heatingflhe adhesive materialhetWeen-rthe b0 1 tom {of said QQDIBSfiGdaQOIfiOH" and said ibaclring sheet by applyinga; high=;- irequency electric field t a to said adhesive to; hangeathe consisteneymf said adhesive; whereby:said-edepresse'du-portion is af-=: l5 fixed -irto saidwhaekingrsheet; andnadvancing said backing-sh et: with thesamxedsnrfaeetmateriala-a distaneerequalte that between the r ws Ofsurface 7' material.

2. [The methodpadapted qteproduce a-fiooreevw Ming-thawing spft surjfi material-securely "ad! heredrin transverse linesqer I'OWfi'ir-iiO a; backing- :1 sheet; by:an adhesillenwhich com-prises advancing V 1 a predetermined: length of soft surface material,- 1 forming ,arbight: :in sa-idt length nf said-Fm'ateria-l; pressing l saidthightrgagainst; a"- heat--setta-ble adhesive material onntheisurfacejof isaid hackin sheeh heating the adhesive material between-saidbight qa-nd said ebackingwsheet-by applying. a high 1 frequencyeelectric *fieldeqf saidi-adhesive:material to solidify said radhesive material, :wherebysaid; bightas securedto said-hackingsheet, andadvancs ing *said'wbaching zsheetz' with'thejqsurface materiala distance; equaltto that; hetweenethe rows of suri f ace-material; 3. ran-apparatus 5QDEQUGJ33Q11DOI covering having a; softg-surface material securely adhered in transverse lineseor rowsto a backingasheet-by an adhesive;-.-whieh;lcemprises means-for: coating: v the aback-mg, sheet --:with1 :an -,.-adhesive an anvil 40 over which the coated sheet is fedtandxintermit r; tentlylrcaused to dwellrdilring, the attaching ;of the snrfacemateriahte saideoa-ted hacking. -sheet,-:- 1 a pair TOf grippers to gripgthe isurface material. andiieed ritinto positionoverrtheshacking She8tm45 when; saidzsheet is on ;the.--anvil,-an electrode and 1 meansnto-- operate tit-to press big-hts-aofi the surface material against themadhesive'onsaid; backing 1 sheet while same-backing :,";Sl18et":dW811S2 on :said 5 anvilya high frequency aelectric generatonnone v nectedto theeleetrode and to theamvilto; apply a high fI'GQUBIIGYTfiBlfi-XTIO the adhesive material between; the bights-- oftheisurface material and. the ,backingV-:sheet,- ;andqmeansw;fon feeding the hacking sheettwithits coat of adhesive. material; ontothe anvil and"below;theieleetrode andior; advancingwthe backingsheetwith the aifixedsur-m'i face material. thereon step Jay step: by a, distance V, equalto thathetweenutworowsmof the. attachedsurface material, 7 I.

e m hod Q precludes .al niwoven pi fa'briewhich comprises; intermittently advancing a baclg-ingsh-eet having anadhesive;thereon,;peri+ odicallyforming a sheet or layer" of textile pile strands into a row of loops adjacent said adhesive es and extending away-therefrom; engaging said loops some on oneside and some on the ether side o-f their apexespand pressing the engaged 1-"; partsl of.thelloopsaagainst said-:adhesiverto affix them toisaidrhacking sheet.; s: .--1 5. A non-woven pile fabric comprising a backsa fi e sh etea plural ty orte tilenileis r dsadhe. sivelyasecured-to said backing:lsheeta-alongplipes" extending transverselyecf i-theirlenethtito ffll mi rows of upstanding loops in saidestrandstbetweenw'w 8 saidmlinesmpstanding iloops inthet sameirowsnn upstandinglrloops in rthe samecrstrands differing amengathemseivesain :heightz so as to imparteas' high and low appearance to the pileiiace. of thei -:2 fabric:

6. An apparatus tor. prodncin-gia 'floor coveringz a i having; a: softesurfacei'materials securely zadhered in transverse-lines rows to a-bacltingsheethy an adhesive, vwhich scomprisescmeans for' coating: thelbackinghsheet witlb an.:adhesive; an :anvil over which it'hezcoated ,sheetris fed. anddntermittently causeduto dwell duringztheiattaching i'of thBiSlJF' facesmaterialrt =said.coated-.-backing sheet, a pai f pp fe o: rip,thersurface:materiakandlfeed i-t intospesitiomover-the backing. sheet when said: sheeteis on the :anvih an electrode-ands;means to operate lit-to pressw-bightswof the :surfacematerialagainst the adhesive onisaidhackingwsheet while; saidbaching sheet dwells-on said-anvil; means for? adjusting :thegpos ition of saidelectrode longitudiaa nallyofth'e backirigsheet; a high frequency elec trici generator connectedj to the electrode andwto the-:anvil to applya highdrequency'fiel'd to thei adhesivermateria1-:between-=the bights :oi the sure: facepmaterialtand the hacking "sheet; and: means? i for feedings-the hacking vsheeta: (with x its coat of I adhesive; material onto-the I anvil *andvbelow their electrode and afar? i advancing rithe v1 .10 aching *sheet 1 with the-aflixeid surface material thereon step by step by-a distancelequal to thatzbetween two rowse'" of the attached surface: material;

7. Thetmethodazoi makingrcarpetsof the-.pile fabrictype' whichyinclude a: flexiblersheet like backing with: a surfacelayer ofran adhesive'capa ble of being? tendered effective by heat and; 1 on subsequently coolingzhardening but remaining" 7 flexible;.-=Which. -cemprises thes steps cf formingan successive-rows of pilepapplyingasuccessiveirows a" of said pile to the adhesive coated surface of said; i;

backing witneach {TOW/K511816611; at: a' distance from:

a previeuslyeapplied:r0w-rand pressing each. sue-'1' cessivemw of pile into:intimatezzcontact:withthe? adhesive;vcoatedwsurfaceeof saidahacking' and; si multaneouslywheating 2 said-i adhesive coated isur f aceaalong 'theline 30f eachnrow: of pile-by high a frequencydielectric heating. 7,;

8. The-.-me.tho.d on malei-ngrcarpettas definedin' v claim A wherein IB'he successive. rows: of pile-ware 1 applied: transversely ef. thefloacking and in spaced relation: longitudinallymcf :isaide; baCkiHg',TF3,I1di"] wherein the simultaneoustpressing and heating of the adhesive is:reifectecfralongczthe transverse line of each-row of pi1e.1:v:-1

9. The ,methodc of makingtcarpetszas defined in claim T3;Wh8l8iilh6-I1OWS01E pileare successivee 1y applied to said zbacking as transverselycdis-xr posed; longitudina1ly'= spacederows; and wherein i the adhesivevcoated backingis advanced 'lQngi- :;itudinall'wstep by stenitwith-"qrespectrto theflinetof applicatiomof; saidztransverse-rrowsrto effectssai longitndinal spacingiof said rows on saidbacking 10.!Iheamethodnf makingwcarpetsvas defined? in claimfl, whereinwthe backing; with the successively applied rows ofpile thereon: i's-moved step by stepibetweena paircf epposed relativelymov ahlei combined (pressing and electrode -.-members;w and wherein ,saidmembersaresuccessivelymove together-:1 over) each; successively formed; row o-f pile V to press-athe-individualvrows into; intimat '5 contactiwithitheaadhesive on thelhacking andrto :ra simultaneously apply; the high frequeney:dielectric heatete saidirows duringxthe :iHtBIVEIilZbBUWBQII'J." the step, by stepnnovementaofi said backing;

11. JI'he-.method. of. makingzzcarpetseas definedwm: in claimafla\whereinithersurfaceelayemofi adhesive is applied to the backing as said backing is moved toward the point of application of the successive rows of pile thereto.

12. The method of making carpets as defined in claim 7, wherein the adhesive applied to the surface of the backing consists of an ungelled mixture of polyvinyl chloride and a plasticizer.

13. The method of making carpets as defined in claim '7, wherein the body of the fabric made in accordance with said method is subsequently heated throughout to get any ungelled portion of the adhesive on said backing.

14. An apparatus for making carpet of the pile fabric type comprising a pair of elongated, axially aligned, relatively movable, combined pressing and electrode members, means for feeding an adhesive coated backing between said members in successive intermittent steps, means for applying successive elongated rows of pile to a surface of said adhesive coated backing, means for moving said members together over a row of said applied pile during the interval between the successive steps of movement of said backing, and means for applying a high frequency electric field to said members, whereby when said members are moved together over a row of pile said members press said pile into intimate contact with the adhesive on said backing and simultaneously apply a high frequency electric field to heat said adhesive.

15. Apparatus for making carpets as defined in claim 14, which includes means for applying adhesive to said backing prior to feeding said backing between said combined pressing and electrode members.

16. Apparatus for making carpets as defined in claim 14, which includes an auxiliary heater to gel any ungelled portion of the adhesive on said backing particularly those portions of the adhesive disposed between the successive rows of pile.

17. The method, adapted to produce a floor covering having a soft surface material securely adhered in transverse rows to a backing sheet by an adhesive, which comprises advancing a length of soft-surface material a predetermined amount, depressing a portion of said length of said material, pressing the bottom of said depressed portion against a thermoresponsive adhesive material on the surface of said backing sheet, simultaneously heating the adhesive material between the bottom o f said depressed portion and said backing sheet by applying a high frequency electric field to said adhesive to change the consistency of said adhesive, whereby said depressed portion is amxed to said backing sheet, and advancing said backing sheet with the affixed surface material a distance equal to that between the rows of surface material.

18. The method, adapted to produce a floor covering having a soft surface material securely adhered in transverse rows to a backing sheet by an adhesive, which comprises advancing a length of soft-surface material a predetermined distance, depressing a portion of said length of said material, pressing the bottom of said depressed portion against an adhesive on the surface of said backing sheet, comprising a dispersion of a finely-divided polyvinyl chloride polymer in a plasticizer, simultaneously heating the adhesive material between the bottom of said depressed portion and said backing sheet by applying a high frequency electric field to said adhesive to set said adhesive, whereby said depressed portion is affixed to said backing sheet, and advancing said backing sheet with the affixed surface material a distance equal to that between the rows of surface material.

CHARLES R. JOHNSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,914,962 Smith June 20, 1933 2,033,325 Clapp Mar. 10, 1936 2,116,048 Smith May 3, 1938 2,160,154 Kellogg et a1 May 30, 1939 2,312,129 Smith Feb. 23, 1943 2,352,131 Smith June 20, 1944 2,515,847 Winkler July 18, 1950 

